Ash-handling crane.



No.842,005. I PATENTED JAN. 22, 1907. G.R.0RD.

iASH HANDLING CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1906.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1; v

W/TNESSES:' H A INVENTOR c 25.01%

= ATTORNEYS.

Tn: NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, 0. c4

PATBNTED JAN. 22, 1907.

0.3.0111). ASH HANDLING CRANE.

APPLICATION TILED MAR. 13, 1906.

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INVENTOH C rczz'enjiaz'i ATTORNEYS WITNESSES.

CRAVEN ROBERT ORD, OF MOADAM, NEW BRUNSVVIOK, CANADA.

ASH-HANDLING CRANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1907.

Application filed March 13, 1905. Serial No. 305,846.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CRAVEN ROBERT Ono, a

subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident ofMcAdam, in theProvince of New Brunswick and Dominion of Canada, have invented a newand Improved Ash-Handling Crane, of which the following is a full,clear,

and exact description.-

This invention relates to mechanism for handling loads.

The object of the invention is to produce an apparatus of this classwhich is simple in construction and which is especially adapted forhandling ashes or cinders, facilitating the unloading and dumpingoperation.

More specifically, the invention relates to the means for dumping thebucket in which the ashes or cinders are carried, and, further, inproviding an arrangement which tends to decrease the amount of leakageat the operating-cylinder.

The invention constitutes an improvement upon the devices patented tomeunder date of May 2, 1905, for the same general purpose.

The invention consists of the construction and combination of parts tobemore fully described hereinafter and particularly set set forth in theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specifioation, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective showing the complete apparatus, a portion ofthe view being broken away. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing a craneto which the invention is attached. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of aportion of the bucket used for receiving and dumping the ashes orcinders. This view is to illustrate especially the construction of thelatch, which is released when the bucket is to be dumped. Fig. 4 is anedge or end view of the bail of the bucket shown in Fig. 3. This view isupon an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a plan of a releasing-lever whichcooperates with the latch of the bucket for the purpose of dumping thebucket. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the edge of the bucket at thepoint where it is engaged by the latch. Fig. 7 is a plan of the edge ofthe bucket shown in Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a portionof a bucket and illustrating the means for guiding the same onto thetrack.

In the specification following a construction is described which isintended especially for the purpose of facilitating the removal of ashesor cinders dumped from a locomotive fire-box, arrangement being made fordumping these ashes into cuitable cars standing near the apparatus.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents a pit overwhich a track 2 runs. Upon the track 2 the locomotive will stand whichis to dump the ashes or cinders. In a suitable position in the bottom ofthe pit 1 a track 3 is laid, upon which a bucket 4 is adapted to run,said bucket for this purpose being provided on its under side withwheels 5, as shown. At a suitable point in the pit 1 a crane 6 ismounted, the same comprising a vertical post 7, which is secured at itsupper extremity by braces 8, which may conveniently constitute a part ofa gallows construotion of any suitable form. This crane 6 comprises aboom 9, which extends horizontally from the post 7, as indicated. Thisboom is preferably a diagonal brace 10, which is also rigidly attachedto the post. The boom 9. preferably extends beyond the post 7, so as toform a butt 11. Against the face of the post 7, beneath this butt 11, anoperatingcylinder 12 is provided. The piston within this cylinder may beoperated by any suitable fluidsuch as compressed air, water, orsteam-the said fluid being admitted to the under side of the pistonthrough a suitable pipe 13, passing through the lower head of thecylinder. Through the upper head of the cylinder a piston-rod 14 extendsupwardly, to the upper extremity whereof there is attached a cross-head15. This cross-head is guided upon guiderods 16, the upper extremitieswhereof are attached to the butt 11 and the lower extremities whereofare attached to the upper head of the cylinder 12, as indicated. Uponthis cross head 15 there is mounted a sheave 17, and in the post 7 arecess is formed in which there is mounted a guide-sheave 18. Anothersheave 19 is mounted near the extremity of the boom 9. Over the sheaves17, 18, and 19 a hoisting-cable 20 passes, the same supporting asuitable hook 21. From the hook2l the cable passes upwardly around thesheave 19, whence it passes downwardly under-the sheave 18, thence overthe sheave 17, and the lower extremity of the cable being attachedrigidly to the upper cylinderhead, as shown. From this arrangement itwill be understood that when the operating fluid is admitted under thepiston the crosshead 15 and the sheave 17 will be forced upwardly, whichwill take up a quantity of the cable, so as to raise the hook 21 and theload which may be carried thereby. In the lower extremity of the post 7a pin 22 is rigidly attached, which is stepped in a suitable manner. Asimilar pin 23 is provided at the up per extremity, which is suitablysecured by the brace 8. Near the lower extremity of the post 7 a rigidarm 24 is attached, which projects laterally, as shown, and in asubstantially horizontal plane. By means of this arm the operator of thecrane may swing the boom thereof upon the post 7 as an axis.

Referring again to the bucket 4, and especially to Fig. 3, this bucketcomprises a body 25, having a rectangular or box form, as shown. To theopposite side of this body, at a point near the bottom thereof,trunnions 26 are rigidly attached, to which the vertical arms 27 of abail 28 are attached. The bail 28 preferably is formed with asubstantially horizontal cross-bar or body 29, which is formedintegrally with the arms 27, as indicated. At one side and preferably atthe an gle where one of the arms 27 meets the body 29 of the bail Iattach a latch 30, which is of the form of a bell-crank lever, having avertical arm 31, which lies substantially over the adjacent arm of thebail and is formed with a projecting fin or ear 32, which extends towardthe body of the bucket. This fin is preferably formed by a rounded edge,as indicated most clearly in Fig. 3. Near the position of the fin 32upon the edge of the bucketbody 25 a catch 33 is formed. The form ofthis catch is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. It presents anotch or recess 34, which is adapted to receive an edge of the fin 32,so as to lock the bucket in an upright position, as will be readilyunderstood. Furthermore, it is formed with inclined side faces 35 for apurpose which will appear more fully hereinafter. The horizontal arm ofthe latch 30 is preferably formed with a reduced extremity 36, whichprojects through a yoke 37, attached near the middle of the body 29 ofthe bail, and at a suitable point adjacent to this yoke a leaf-spring 38is attached, the extremity whereof presses against the under edge of thearm of the latch at this point, operating to maintain the fin 32 in engagement with the catch 33, as will be readily understood. At the middlepoint of the body 29 of the bail a suitable shackle 39 is attached,which is adapted to be engaged with the hook 21 aforesaid when thebucket is to be raised. On the side of the arm 27 of the bail to whichthe latch 30 is attached I attach a bracket 40, the upper extremitywhereof is formed with an offset 41, whereby a space 42 is formed, inwhich the fin 32 moves. Across the space a stop-pin 43 extends, the samebeing rigidly attached to the pose latch takes place, the pin 43operates to stop the rearward movement of the fin 32.

I provide an arrangement for enabling the bucket to be released by theoperator occupy ing a osition near the arm 24. For this purprovide areleasing-lever 44, which is mounted rotatably at 45 upon the side ofthe post 7. The extremity of this lever is attached to a link 46, whichextends vertically upwardly and is guided through a suitable bracket 47in the side of the post. The upper extremity of this link 46 is attachedpivotally to a lever 48, which is disposed in a substantially horizontalposition, passing freely through a bracket 49, which is attached to tneaforesaid diagonal brace 10. The extremity of this lever 48 isformedwith op positely-disposed forks 50, between which there is mounteda ring 51, the same being secured on pivot-bolts 52, disposed oppositelywithin the ends of the forks, as shown. Through this ring 51 the cablepasses downwardly, suspending the hook 21, as described above.

When the apparatus is being operated, the bucket is runon the track 3under the locomotive standing on track 2, and after the ashes oi cindersare dumped the bucket is drawn outwardly and raised by means of the hook21 and cable 20. l/Vith the bucket raised, as indicated in Fig. 1, thearm 24 affords means for swinging the boom 9 into position over a track53, upon which the cinder-car may stand. When it is desired to releasethe latch 30 to dump the bucket, the operator presses downwardly on thelever 44. This movement of the lever depresses the ring 51, so that itengages the extremity 36 of the horizontal arm of the latch 30. In thisway the fin 32 is thrown out of engagement with the catch 33 by reasonof the fact that the trunnions 26 of the bucket are below the center ofgravity thereof and the bucket immediately dumps itself, turningcompletely over and coming back to its normal position. As it does sothe edge of the fin 32 rides up on either of the inclined faces 35, sothat it drops back into the notch 34, as will be readily understood. Inthis way the bucket latches itself automatically after dumping.

By reason of the fact that the operating fiuid is admitted only to theunder side of the piston it will be observed that the chamber in whichthe fluid is received has no stuflmgbox through which the fluidmayescape. In this way the tendency to leakage is greatly reduced and therewill be practically no leakage if the piston is suitably packed.

Attention is called to the fact that by rea- IIO son of the ring 51 thereleasing mechanism will operate to undo the latch, whatever be theposition of the bucket-that is, the bucket may assume ELI1 T angularposition over the cinder-car when it is dumped. Furthermore, the ring 51always maintains itself in a horizontal position by reason of the factthat the pivot-pins 52, attached to lugs 54, project upwardly from thebody of the ring, as indicated. Although the ring 51 is supported uponpivots, it will always operate to move the latch 30, because the pointof the ring opposite to the latch will engage the upper edge of the bailand operate as a fulcrum as the ring is depressed.

The boom 9 after dumping the bucket may be swung into position over thetrack 3 by lever 24 being pushed against post 24c and held there by acatch 24*, so as to enable the bucket to be lowered thereupon to takethe load of ash or cinders from beneath the locomotive. In order tofacilitate the proper alinement of the bucket as it descends in this wayupon the track, I provide a guide-bracket 55 of any suitableconstruction, preferably consisting of light framework of bar-ironpresenting inclined arms 56,

position directly over the track and then lowered. The oounterweightsoperate to hold the arms 56 normally, as shown in dotted lines. 1

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters 1. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, aboom, a bucket, a spring pressed latch maintaining the same in anupright position, a cable supporting said bucket from said boom, a ringsurrounding said cable, a lever pivotally attached to said ring andpivotally attached to said boom, and means foractuating said lever toforce said ring against said latch.

2. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a bucket havinga bail, a latch attached to said bail, a catch on said bucket engagingsaid latch, a cable attached to said bail and supporting said bucket,a'lever, a ring surrounding said tached to said lever at diametricallyopposite points, and means for moving said ring to engage said latchwhereby said bucket may be dumped.

3. In apparatus of the combination, a boom, a bucket, a springpressedlatch maintaining the same in an upright position, a cable supportingsaid bucket from said boom, a ring surrounding said cable, a leverpivotally attached to said ring and pivotally attached to said boom, apost carrying said boom, and a link attached to said post and connectedto said lever for actuating the same.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to th1s specification 1n thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CRAVEN ROBERT 0RD.

I/Vitnesses:

LOUIS W. LEHRLE, S. A. 0RD.

class described, in

cable and pivotally at-

